Initiation
Opening Narration "The continent of Beadruth and its Five Kingdoms have stood in peace for Four Hundred years. The First Invasion, the Accord, and the memory of the demonic hordes have long since faded into history, however, and divisions between the Five Kingdoms are more pressing than ever. Problems, both internal and external, challenge every citizen of every nation, and the world is more in need of light than ever. For that reason, Renn Tarthal created the Order of the Silver Blade- a beacon of hope and light to the people of the Five Kingdoms, aiding those in need without charge, and promising rewards out of his vault to those who serve the Order. Word quickly spread, and countless famous adventurers, soldiers, and other opportunists flocked to Accordia to attempt to join. However, Renn Tarthal was extremely strict in who he would allow in, and over time the Order's numbers still remained small, though many still arrive every day to try their hand at admittance. You have each been drawn here, to the center of Accordia, far from home, to seek a new life. Some seek redemption, some seek escape, some seek fame or power. But all of you share a common potential, a destiny for greatness that many don't recognize- maybe not even you. Meeting in the Foyer The party members arrived separately in the foyer of the Tarthal Manor in the Gated District of Accordia. After a brief speech from Renn Tarthal about the Order, its ideals, and the high expectations he had set for membership. For the first round of trials, the group of 32 hopefuls were randomly separated into teams of 4 and then teams were paired against each other for a sparring match. Tural, Senshi, Kat, and Valerian, assigned to Team Six, briefly got to know one another and assessed their respective competencies before they were paired up against their opponents, Team Five. The match was overseen by Salris Silvertongue. Sparring Match Team Six fought a group of four opponents from across Beadruth: * Faen, a small-time criminal employed with The Dagger. * Hektor, an acolyte of Torm and former legionnaire. * Tharr, a half-orc bouncer for the Liberty's Lady and member of the Monster District Watch * Althea, a novice Drendoran student from the College of Evocation Despite having only just met, the party performed a number of innovative tactical maneuvers. For example, while Valerian was engaged with Hektor, Katsuro used a minor illusion spell to distract his attention, allowing Valerian to make an opportunity attack against him. Later in the battle, Althea released a devastating Burning Hands spell without carefully lining up its area of effect, seriously burning Faen. The party was eventually able to make short work of the group of four, and Salris was deeply impressed with their performance. After the battle, the party met with their defeated opponents. Faen, who was left disgruntled and resentful by his loss, threatened Althea and stalked off in a seething rage. Hektor was impressed by his opponents' combat prowess and tactical ability, and said that he was glad to have had them as opponents. Althea congratulated them and let them know that she was heading back to Drendor to get better at evocation magic. Tharr was the most gracious in defeat, and let them know that he thought their performance was amazing. He invited them to visit him at the Liberty's Lady any time, and recommended that they stop by and see some of the wares. When the party finished meeting with their opponents, Salris healed their wounds and sent them upstairs to meet with Renn Tarthal. Meeting with Renn Tarthal Salris led the party upstairs to the entrance to the library and ushered them inside, where Renn was seated at the conference table in the center of the room. He greeted them warmly and quickly set about interviewing them. Displaying remarkable insight and knowledge of their respective backgrounds, he quickly assessed their character and decided that they had remarkable potential. After fielding many questions to them and answering a few of their own, he brought Salris back in and asked him to oversee their first contract in Drendor. They were assigned to investigate a small number of Crawling Claws that had emerged from the ancient sewer system beneath Drendor. Renn wished them good luck and Salris sent them to the barracks for a night's sleep, then they set out in the morning for their first contract. Travel to Drendor Salris used the ''Teleport ''spell to bring the party just outside the gates of Drendor. When they were asked for identification, Salris displayed the contract and his silver rapier and they were easily admitted to the city. They traveled to the College of Abjuration's security office and met with the Archmage of Abjuration, Kreforn. He filled them in on the situation and answered their questions, and then they set out to the location of the disturbance in the Undercity. Entering the Sewers As the party entered the sewers of Drendor, they were ambushed by crawling claws moving along the ceiling. They made short work of the disembodied hands, then continued deeper into the sewers to find their source. Deeper into the sewers, they found an ancient rusted grate that had been moved out of place, allowing the hands to crawl through. The party moved the grate out of the way and dropped into the room below, where they found an ancient stone room with intricate mosaic carvings in its walls. Salris followed the party invisibly to observe their activities. The Ancient Tomb The party opened the stone door and entered a large central chamber of an ancient stone structure. Three other doors branched off of the central chamber, though one was blocked by a massive, ceiling-high pile of rubble. In one of the adjacent chambers, the party found a group of skeletons guarding what appeared to be an embalming chamber, and after destroying the skeletons they managed to salvage some ancient statuettes. The northern room opened into a long hallway and immediately sealed itself shut behind them as the tomb's ancient but still-functioning trap triggered. Whirling blades moved down the hallway, making frequent attacks against them. Midway down the hallway, they encountered two zombies wandering around the corpse of a dead mage in black robes. Katsuro retrieved a Wand of Magic Missiles from the wizard's corpse and the party defeated the zombies as they rushed down the hallway to deactivate the trap, barely making it through alive thanks to some healing magic and salvaged potions. In the next room, they found the tomb of an ancient Elven knight lying in a sarcophagus with a crown and ancient longsword. Over Senshi and Tural's objections, the party looted the crown and sword and began to leave the tomb. Suddenly, they heard a loud disturbance from the central chamber and headed out to investigate. Battle with the Disciples In the central chamber of the tomb, the party discovered that the wall of rubble had been destroyed, and a ghoul controlled by two more black-robed wizards were now investigating the area. They engaged in combat and quickly slew the three enemies. As they were combing over the corpses, a skeletal figure slowly strode into the room. Meeting with Ivthar With his arcane knowledge, Katsuro quickly recognized that this undead creature was a powerful spellcaster, and speculated that it may have been a lich. The lich was mildly amused by the party, but told them to quickly get out of his lair or he would destroy them. As the party debated internally about what course of action to take, Senshi stepped forward and insulted the lich, preparing to challenge him to a duel. The lich killed Senshi with a single word, and when the party refused to move he disintegrated the corpse. They turned to flee as the lich picked up Tempest, laughing maniacally. Salris appeared from invisibility and threw up a wall of earth as the party turned and ran out of the sewers, only stopping when they had reached the surface. The party rushed to Kreforn's office, but he did not believe most of their claims about the lich, since only one mage had ever figured out the ritual of lichdom and he had been destroyed by the other Archmages. However, out of an abundance of caution, he agreed to begin regular patrols of the undercity and blocked off the ancient sewer entrances with grates and Arcanum Justiciars. He also provided them with payment for their services. Night at the Crossroads After their adventure, Salris suggested that the party spend a night at the Crossroads Inn and Tavern to unwind. They shared a few drinks in honor of their fallen comrade, and were regaled by a performance from a goblin bard named Hob Glob. Salris was deeply intrigued by Hob Glob's performance, and decided to take him on as an apprentice, and a potential recruit for the Order. The party rested, then left the city and teleported home the next day. Return to the Tarthal Manor When they returned to Tarthal Manor, Renn Tarthal was eager to greet them and congratulate them on their success, but his face fell when he heard what had happened to Senshi. Still, he gave them each their silver weapons and offered Hob Glob a stop on their team as a provisional member. He then offered them the choice of their next contract, and they chose an escort for a Therlodaran Caravan.